17631
Seminar
SoSe 19: Bauhaus: Media Theory and Practice
Volker Pantenburg, Eric de Bruyn
Comments
The Bauhaus, founded in Weimar in 1919, then forced to move to Dessau and later Berlin before its ban by the Nazis in 1933, was a comparatively short lived, but enormously influential art and design school. More than any other previous movement, it emphasized an interdisciplinary approach to the use of media technologies and artistic creation as a means of a comprehensive, all-encompassing design of life within an industrial society. Looking back upon the centennial of the Bauhaus’ foundation, this class, co-taught by Eric de Bruyn (Art History) and Volker Pantenburg (Film Studies) takes a closer look at the media theoretical premises that contributed to shaping the Bauhaus project, which was far from homogenous and produced many internal and external contradictions. We shall discuss, for instance, ‘Bauhausmeister’ such as Oskar Schlemmer, Walter Gropius and László Moholy-Nagy who proposed new modes of spectacular culture, such as immersive cinema, and conceived film and photography as paradigmatic modes of perception in the modern world. We shall also discuss similar developments in the work of related, avant-garde artists and filmmakers, such as Theo van Doesburg and Hans Richter, as well as important landmark events such as the “Der Absolute Film” screening in 1925 and the “Film und Foto” exhibition in 1929. Our aim is to evaluate the utopian aims of the Bauhaus both in light of its actual production and later critiques of its ‘bio-political’ and ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ ethos. To this purpose we shall also explore (the transformation of) the Bauhaus lineage in the post-45 period (e.g. the ‘formalization’ of Bauhaus photography at Chicago’s School of Design, but also the ‘informatization’ of Bauhaus media theory at M.I.T.).
A one day excursion to Dessau as well as a trip to the “Bauhaus imaginista” exhibition at Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) will be part of the class.
The class will mostly be taught in English and is open to 15 students from Art History and 15 from Film Studies. close
A one day excursion to Dessau as well as a trip to the “Bauhaus imaginista” exhibition at Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) will be part of the class.
The class will mostly be taught in English and is open to 15 students from Art History and 15 from Film Studies. close
28 Class schedule
Regular appointments
Tue, 2019-04-09 14:00 - 16:00
Tue, 2019-04-16 14:00 - 16:00
Tue, 2019-04-23 14:00 - 16:00
Tue, 2019-04-30 14:00 - 16:00
Tue, 2019-05-07 14:00 - 16:00
Tue, 2019-05-14 14:00 - 16:00
Tue, 2019-05-21 14:00 - 16:00
Tue, 2019-05-28 14:00 - 16:00
Tue, 2019-06-04 14:00 - 16:00
Tue, 2019-06-11 14:00 - 16:00
Tue, 2019-06-18 14:00 - 16:00
Tue, 2019-06-25 14:00 - 16:00
Tue, 2019-07-02 14:00 - 16:00
Tue, 2019-07-09 14:00 - 16:00
Tue, 2019-04-09 12:00 - 14:00
Sichtung zu S 17 631
Tue, 2019-04-16 12:00 - 14:00
Sichtung zu S 17 631
Tue, 2019-04-23 12:00 - 14:00
Sichtung zu S 17 631
Tue, 2019-04-30 12:00 - 14:00
Sichtung zu S 17 631
Tue, 2019-05-07 12:00 - 14:00
Sichtung zu S 17 631
Tue, 2019-05-14 12:00 - 14:00
Sichtung zu S 17 631
Tue, 2019-05-21 12:00 - 14:00
Sichtung zu S 17 631
Tue, 2019-05-28 12:00 - 14:00
Sichtung zu S 17 631
Tue, 2019-06-04 12:00 - 14:00
Sichtung zu S 17 631
Tue, 2019-06-11 12:00 - 14:00
Sichtung zu S 17 631
Tue, 2019-06-18 12:00 - 14:00
Sichtung zu S 17 631
Tue, 2019-06-25 12:00 - 14:00
Sichtung zu S 17 631
Tue, 2019-07-02 12:00 - 14:00
Sichtung zu S 17 631
Tue, 2019-07-09 12:00 - 14:00
Sichtung zu S 17 631